An incident near Jigani in Bengaluru has killed a 30-year-old software engineer who drowned in a water-filled stone quarry while on a trekking trip. Vinay, who had been on a trekking trip with the rest of the group near Yellammanadoddi on October 2, was one of those who fell into the quarry with some of the others. His body was found Sunday morning after a search operation that lasted almost two days.
The accident took place near Yellammanadoddi, near Jigani, on Friday. Vinay, who lived in Halasuru in Bengaluru and was originally from Andhra Pradesh, had been on a trip to the area as part of the trekking team. He drowned in a quarry filled with water, which was an outdoor trip, sources said. The quarry is around 100 feet deep and has been abandoned for several years after the stone mining activities stopped there about 15 years ago.
According to Vinay's friends who were part of the trekking group, about five people entered the water-filled quarry on Friday evening. The group spent nearly an hour swimming in the water. Vinay was also able to swim, but he was not a professional swimmer. As he was swimming toward the middle of the quarry, he suddenly called out for help.
The other members of the group tried to respond to Vinay, but he disappeared under the water before they could reach him. This event immediately alerted the group to call the police and seek emergency help. Fire and Emergency Services, along with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), conducted a search operation in the quarry.
The rescue operation was particularly difficult because of the depth and the conditions of the abandoned quarry. Search teams had to carefully scan the water to find Vinay. The search continued for two days as rescue agencies worked together to recover him. A specialist scuba diving team under Eshwar Malpe also joined the search and assisted the authorities in finding the missing engineer.
After much effort, the rescue teams finally found Vinay's body on Sunday morning. NDRF and other rescue teams retrieved the body from the quarry and handed it over for further investigation. The body will be sent for a post-mortem examination as part of the investigation into the incident.
Police are investigating the drowning. Based on initial information and the trekking group’s reports and statements, investigators believe Vinay may have gotten tired from swimming in the middle of the quarry. He knew how to swim, but because of the depth, exhaustion, and difficulty in getting out of the water, he was not able to recover from the water.
An unnatural death case is registered at Jigani Police Station. Police will record statements from the trekking group and investigate the reason they entered the abandoned quarry.
But the incident has also highlighted how dangerous it is to go to an abandoned quarry flooded with rainwater. Such places may appear safe for swimming or recreation, but the depth, underwater terrain, sudden changes in water levels, and hidden obstacles are very dangerous. Even experienced swimmers are at risk in such places when there is no safety plan or rescue facilities.
Vinay’s death has left his friends and family devastated, and the trekking outing ended in an unexpected tragedy. The cooperation of multiple emergency agencies in the recovery of people from deep, water-filled quarries shows the difficulty of rescue.
As the Jigani police investigate the cause of the drowning, the exact sequence of events that led to the drowning is still being examined. Such tragic incidents serve as a serious warning about the dangers of swimming in abandoned mining pits and quarries, even for people who know how to swim.
